Sarvajanik Ganesh festival is the
outcome of efforts put in by Lokmaniya Tilak during the British rule in India
when group meetings were banned. Under the auspices of Ganesh puja people
gathered in numbers. Even today, Ganesh festival is the most celebrated of all
Indian festivals the world over. The deity is an epitome of super intelligence,
power and wisdom.
Lord Ganesh is one of the favorite
deities in every Indian household. Being referred to as Pratham Pujya, Lord
Ganesh is the 1st deity invoked before initiation of any religious
ceremony. It is believed that when Lord
Ganesh is invoked, he leaves his heavenly abode and resides within the confines
of our home. After serving him for a period of
1, 5, 7 or 10 days, he bids farewell to return back to his abode.
During his stay, chanting of prayers and
mantras continue. This is a reflection of bhakti yoga. Chanting in groups
raises the positive vibrations of every individual as well as the surrounding
area.
Ganesh is the lord of the panch tatvas
i.e. Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether. So during visarjan, when the idol is
immersed in water it is a gentle reminder that nothing lasts forever. All
living things will eventually become formless. Our physical body will convert
into these tatvas when the soul severs ties with the physical body.
The visarjan of the Ganesh idol actually
represents the visarjan of all the vikars i.e.to surrender all negative
qualities like anger, pride, desires, ego, lust, etc to the higher self. When
one surrenders to the higher self, a complete transformation takes place. One
is completely detached from all worldly aspects. The realization that we are spiritual beings
in a temporary physical body sets in.
The elephant head explains it all. In
other words, when Ganesh was created by Parvati (Shakti or Kundalini), he was
not spiritually developed. So when Shiva ( higher self, symbolized by the ball
on his head) intervenes, there is resistance by the lower nature represented by
original Ganesh. Slaying of Ganesh’s head by Shiva represents dissolution of
the lower nature or negative qualities. The elephant head symbolizes Shakti or
Kundalini energy which on activation rises from the base of the spine or the
basic chakra and moves upwards towards the crown chakra on the top of the head
and merges with the descending divine energy. When this happens you become like
Ganesh.
Therefore, the practice of loving
kindness and letting go of ill feelings towards oneself as well as others is
the path leading to one’s spiritual development.
